Microelectronics and VLSI design

OPPOUTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Rahul Hakhoo

What is the industry ?

Microelectronics industry is segmented as Front-end manufacturing. Backend device assembly and test. The VLSI design is sandwiched between them Taking inputs from both and delivering designs and Devices to them respectively. In India the industry is highly active in VLSI design.

SEGMENTS IN VLSI DESIGN

The design activity is segmented as follows: 1.Circuit design. (Analog Design) 2.Digital design. 3.High level design ( Architectural design). The Design activity itself is split in distinct phases; Front end design ( logic design). Backend Design ( physical design). Verification Validation Characterization .

SEGMENTS IN VLSI DESIGN

The design activity is segmented as follows: 1.Circuit design. (Analog Design) 2.Digital design. 3.High level design ( Architectural design). The Design activity itself is split in distinct phases; Front end design ( logic design). Backend Design ( physical design). Verification Validation Characterization .

Academic background needed.

The basic educational qualification needed in VLSI design Is a degree in electrical/electronics/communication engineering. B.Tech, B.E. B.S. in electronics/electrical/ communication. A masters in microelectronics or related fields is an advantage . Companies recognize the advantage of a masters degree. A lot of institutions run a PG diploma in VLSI/EDA course. They are advantage but a pre-requisite. Employers are looking for strong fundamentals in circuit theory, digital electronics, mathematics , and HDL languages.

There are currently about 15000 vlsi designers in the country. By 2015 this number is expected to be about 35,000. Of the top 20 semiconductor manufacturers in the world , 17 of them have design and development organizations in India. Geographically located in Bangalore followed by Pune, Hyderabad, NCR, Chennai and Kolkatta . A very huge number of local design services companies are playing a major role in the evolution of this industry in India. A large percentage of hiring is done at campuses for fresh grads. Attrition tends to be in the range of 10 to 15%.

JOB OPPORTINITIES

CAREER PATHS
Most of the companies have a comman technical career path for VLSI designers for the first 6 to 8years. This is time when you acquire skills and decide on a domain of expertise. People have to make a choice would they want to get into a managerial ladder or the technical ladder. But domain expertise is critical in this decision. Most companies have a clear well defined criterion for all levels of the career path. SALARIES IN VLSI ARE BETWEEN 60TH TO 80TH PERCENTILE. But expectations of performance levels are correspondingly higher. BUT DONT JOIN VLSI DESIGN FOR MONEY BUT THE SHEER THRILL OF WORKING WITH BLEEDING EDGE TECHNOLOGY.

KNOWLEDGE BASE
Employers look for a solid grounding in Device physics, mathematics, digital electronics and electrical engineering in general Knowledge of HDLs, C , EDA tools is prefered but not mandatory. Strong understanding of semiconductor materials and microelectronics manufacturing is highly valued . The capability to abstract concepts and still relate it to the lowest level of abstraction is a key skill which people should develop with experience in design.